Challenges of Potable Water Supply in Assosa Town, Benishangul Gumuz Region, Ethiopia

Abstract

Assosa town has been through a problem of sustainable potable water supply because the demand is not satisfied and large numbers of people do not have access to adequate amount of potable water. As a result, residents are forced to get water from unprotected sources which are far from their homes. Besides, they also buy water frequently from illegal persons and incur additional cost. In line with these the main objective of this study was to assess the challenges inadequate water supply in Assosa town. A survey was conducted on a randomly selected 97 House Holds and interviews with purposefully selected key informants in the year 2019. Emphasis was put on examining the nature of the problems of water supply and challenges the service providers and households faced. The study has confirmed that the town water supply service could not cover the demand of it with present existing capacity and based on the research outcome only 36.1% of the respondents get water through their own private taps. As the majority of respondents were agreed that in the study area, many respondents expressed that population size, budget problemsand insufficient and poor distribution of water were the main challenges for potable water supply system. That is, the water supplying service in the town is unsustainable; it is socially inequitable, economically inefficient and environmentally unsound.  This study presents the following recommendations to ensure sustainable water supply in the study area including providing different water sources, conserving water sources, family planning, demand management, demand oriented supply, participating different actors, mobilizing financial resources, and staffing organizational structure with skilled personnel and equipping it with material facilities.

Keywords:Water sources, production, accessibility, potable water supply, Assosa.

DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/75-03

Publication date:May 31^st 2021